WILTON – Despite vocal pushback, Wilton’s Planning & Zoning Commission has unanimously approved a plan that many neighbors fear may change the character of the neighborhood.
The commission approved a special permit allowing the construction of an emergency access road connecting ASML’s Wilton headquarters to Arrowhead Road. The roadway is intended solely for emergency use and will not function as a regular thoroughfare.
As part of the project, ASML – the Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer and Wilton’s largest employer – sought to rezone a single property at 39 Arrowhead Road from residential to commercial use. The application was filed jointly by ASML and the property owners, Nicholas and Michelle Varrone.
“I believe that ASML needs an emergency driveway,” said Wilton Planning & Zoning Chairman Kenneth Hoffman. “We have worked very diligently …. about protecting the residents of Arrowhead Road. The conditions we have in here, I believe, are a best effort of this commission to do so.”
Commission member Jessica Rainey echoed those concerns at a previous meeting, saying the emergency roadway is necessary to ensure employee safety in the event the company’s existing access route becomes unusable.
“We want to make sure that they’re working in a safe environment where, if there was a true emergency and they couldn’t get out from the bridge, that they wouldn’t be stuck there,” Rainey said.
The approval comes with several conditions. All work must be completed within five years, and construction hours for the emergency roadway will be limited to weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The resolution also limits employee vehicle access through the emergency driveway to 280 on-site parking spaces.
Neighbors have opposed the proposal since it was first submitted in January, speaking out at public hearings and submitting more than a dozen letters to the commission.
Brianna Howell, who lives in a neighborhood adjacent to ASML, described years of “relentless noise and light pollution” tied to ongoing construction at the company’s campus. She argued the additional roadway would worsen disruptions and “further erode the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.”
Arrowhead Road residents Al and Sarah Granite warned that once the zoning change is approved, “there is no going back,” arguing the residential character of the street would be lost forever.
The proposal also revived long-standing tensions between ASML and homeowners on Arrowhead Road, some of whom have spent years negotiating with the company over potential home purchases and roadway plans.
Several residents said they received letters of intent from ASML in spring 2024 but believed the offers undervalued their homes. After submitting counteroffers, some said communication stopped for months before the company resumed outreach to select households.
In a November letter to the commission, Pamela and John Musor, who own property abutting the proposed roadway, threatened legal action if the project moved forward.
“We as adjoining property owners will exercise our rights to appeal the decision to the Superior Court and then to appellate courts as necessary,” the Musor’s wrote.
ASML has said it is taking neighbors’ concerns seriously and intends to minimize impacts if the emergency roadway is ever used.
“ASML is committed to meaningful action to reduce any impacts on neighbors during an emergency requiring use of the emergency access driveway,” the company said in a statement. The company said those measures could include consolidating vehicle trips, reducing the number of employees working on-site during emergencies and coordinating traffic control with local emergency responders.
ASML employs more than 3,200 people in Wilton, according to the company’s website. In 2024, the company reported net sales of 28.3 billion euros – about $32.7 billion – an increase of roughly 2.5% year over year.
This story includes previous reporting by former staff writer Tanya Babber and staff writer Paul Schott.
This article originally published at Wilton approves ASML emergency road plan despite fears it will change neighborhood.